What We Once Were
by HeartApart7
Summary: "The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes" . . . From Riku and Sora, The Restoration Committee, the recently turned somebodies of Organization 13, and three friends thought to be lost forever, they must all work together to stop the growing threat of darkness. OCxXion, RikuxOCxIenzo/Zexion, VenxOCxslight Vanitas, OCxLea/Axel, OCxArc from FF3, OCxLeon
1. Accidents, Incidents, and Random Chances

**What We Once Were is being written by 6 different people. The POVs in this chapter are written by:  
Hunter- Twilight's Inferno  
Nellie- Gravity'sMirage  
Chrissie- BlossomingLuck**

**Also, there will be SPOILERS throughout for many of the games but also from released material that's being shown for Dream Drop Distance. If you have a serious problem with spoilers then this probably won't be your type of story. **

**OC Pairings in the fanfic- OCxLeon RikuxOCxIenzo/Zexion OCxLea/Axel OCxXion OCxVen [slight VanitasxOC] OCxArc [final fantasy 3] **

**Also there may be some SoraxKairi and later TerraxAqua.**

**Also all character that are from Kingdom Hearts/Final Fantasy do NOT belong to us, they belong to Square Enix and Disney :)**

Chapter 1- Accidents, Incidents, and Random Chances. 

~Hunter POV~

"Woods!" I heard Seifer's voice shout as I jumped off the train car ahead of him and ran.

Woods, that was me. Hunter Woods actually. Just your average seventeen year old guy, except for a few things. One, I would say I was good looking (I have a lot of girls to back that up too). Two, I was being chased by Seifer's gang and no not just his main three, there was a lot more than people thought and well it's a long story. Oh and three, I had a Keyblade and controlled fire, but just because I had them doesn't mean I'd use them against Seifer and his gang they used to be my 'friends'.

It was late in the evening, so many people weren't out. Perfect for Seifer to come along and try catch me again. Of course the sky wasn't getting any darker, it was stuck in permanent sunset that's how it always has been in Twilight Town, and I've been here my whole life. I ran along the boardwalk in the beach area of town, I knew where I had to go. There was no stopping them this time, I ran towards a section of warehouses. I could hear them on my tail; I cut across in the sand. My pace slowed, but it wouldn't take as long and I could get out of sight faster.

The sand gripped at my black biker boots, kicked up dirtying the hems of my dark blue jeans, the wind pulled at my black leather jacket, and pressed my already close fitting red t-shirt closer. I could out run them, even in sand. I had a slender yet muscular swimmers body build, mostly from Grandstanding. That's what I was most known for, because I was the best at it. I had a handsome face, especially so with a charming smile, short light brown hair that was naturally kinda messy, and bright blue green eyes.

I finally made it to the concrete lot the warehouses were on, I ducked behind one to catch my breath. But this wasn't the one I needed, that one was a few rows down. I heard them coming and went for it.

"Can't out run us Woods!" I heard Seifer again.

"Wanna bet?" I shouted back, my voice echoing off the buildings. I smiled a little and kept going. I got to the warehouse I wanted, I grabbed the door. Locked. A new lock, a coded lock. I didn't know the code; it was just a padlock before.

'_Dang it dad._' I thought to myself as I yanked on the handle one more time. I went around the other side; I forgot it was a U shaped warehouse. I went into the center of the U but I heard the guys behind me. I looked around quickly as I heard them getting closer. Crates. I saw them stacked up in the corner up to the roof; I quickly went to climb them. Trying to keep quiet as well, I had to jump a bit to catch the roof. I pulled myself up quickly; I rolled onto the roof out of sight just as I heard Seifer's voice below. I laid on my back looking up at the sky, breathing quietly.

"Where is he? Thought you said you saw him go in here." I heard Seifer say angrily, then a grunt. He must've hit the guy.

"I did. He ran in here." The guy said. His name was Brandon Swift; he used to be my best friend.

"Agh. Search the lot you idiots. Any open warehouse, search it too." Seifer ordered, I heard them walk off. I slowly looked over the side, they were gone finally. I let out a deep breath and got up slowly, I kept low to the roof though.

I found a prism like sky light on the roof, it took some work and a little melting from fire but I got it open. I grabbed the inside handle and leaned down to look in, lucky for my there was a cat walk a little to the right. I slowly lowered myself down hoping I wouldn't fall and swung myself over dropping onto the cat walk. Soon I was down on the main floor, that's where the Gummi Ship was. See my dad worked for the World Order thing so he got one of these, and I wanted to 'borrow' it. I heard a rustle behind me, I whipped around Keyblade out, it was designed to look like flames. I slowly walked around the crates that were stacked everywhere.

"Who's there?" I demanded, I got no answer but there was a sound of movement. I stepped around the crates. On the ground by the wall was a girl, she had to be around my age, a year younger maybe. She had on a long black cloak, but her hood was down like it had fallen off. She had a cute face with short black hair and the deepest blue eyes I've ever seen. They were big, she was afraid of something. I let my blade disappear. "Who are you?" I asked her stepping back a bit.

"I…my name is Xion." She said nervously, I gave her a charming smile hopefully to relax her.

"Well Xion. My names Hunter Woods." I said and extended my hand. She hesitantly took it and I helped her up, she was a little more relaxed though.

"Um…hi." She said awkwardly with a small smile. I gave a smile back.

"Hey. So what are you doing in here?"

"I ah…I don't know. I woke up and that ship is the only thing I could find. I went on board, and when it started going I hid. When we stopped and the pilot left I got off and I was locked in here." She told me slowly, I knew my dad just came home so happily she hadn't been locked in here long.

"So you stowed away on my dad's ship?"

"Oh. That's your father's? He sounded nice, but I was in storage room so I only got bits and pieces." She said with a smile

"Yeah he's great…" I said sarcastically. Her smile dropped and she seemed to want to say something.

"He's not anywhere Seifer."

"He is here keep looking. Break doors if you have to." Seifer's voice came and very close. I looked at Xion.

"Look I'm taking that ship and leaving. You coming Bambi?" I asked, kinda quietly. Don't ask about the nickname, I saw a picture of a fawn in one of my dad's files named Bambi and her eyes kinda reminded me of that fawn's eyes, big and cute, but her's were that deep blue. She looked at me confused but nodded quickly when there was a bang on a wall outside.

I took her to the ship. I've watched my dad work this thing a few times, he would bring me and show me. Well when we got along. I quickly boarded the ship with Xion and closed the hatch right as I heard the lock on the door snap open. The ship wasn't big at all, we had this level and then a ladder to get up to the cockpit. I let her go up the ladder first then followed.

"So you know how to drive this thing right?" Xion asked me slightly worried

"Well maybe not the bell and whistles to it, but I got the basics." I said and she nodded a little, but truth was I've never flown this thing.

I sat in the pilot's seat and buckled up the harness, Xion sat in the copilot's. I looked out the cockpit window, Seifer's guys surrounded the ship. I reached over and grabbed the speaker, and held the button so I could speak.

"Boys, you might wanna move. It's gonna get hot with the blasters." I said into the speaker and heard it echo outside. But I couldn't hear them. I pulled the lever down on the dash and the ship started up and started to hover at its programmed height. Which was level with a large window, that window would swing open and let the ship out. I hit the green button and the window swung open and we were gone. Out the warehouse and up and out into space.

"Whoa…" Xion whispered looking out the window at all the stars.

"My dad told me all of those were worlds." I said looking out and then looking at the map on the screen

"Really all of them?"

"Well maybe not all. Sure some of them probably are." I said trying to keep the Gummi Ship on course. Xion nodded slowly.

"So, why were those guys after you?"

"Oh them…well that's Seifer's gang, Seifer is the jerk of Twilight Town. Well let's just say he was planning something bad, I had some involvement with tipping the cops, and now he wants to beat me up for it." I told her the basics of the story.

"Oh…wow."

"Yeah, he's a jerk…" I said looking out the front. There was a pause. I looked at her out of the corner of my eye, she was rather cute as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, she looked at me slightly and gave me a small smile, I returned it. "So where you from?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?" I asked raising an eyebrow at her

"No... I don't remember much from before I woke up."

"You don't? So what do you remember?"

"My name...and I do remember Twilight Town, well not really the town but the sky. I knew the sky right when I saw it, I don't know how." She explained, I'd never seen her before so I wondered how she saw the sky here.

"Wow."

"I know it's weird. So where are we going exactly?" She said changing the subject and looking at the on screen map.

"Well it says world this way so we're going that way."

"Really? You seem like a guy to know exactly where you're going at all times."

"Who says I don't?" I said with a charming smile looking over at her, she returned my smile

"Well you don't know where we're going right now."

"The fact we're heading towards a world is good enough. Everything else I got." I told her causally

"So what do you 'got' then?" She said making fun of my grammar, and flashing me a cute smile.

"Get munny, see the worlds out there, then go back and kick Seifer's butt." I said with a smile

"Sounds like quite a plan." Xion said with a hint of sarcasm. I looked over at her,

"Okay so what's wrong with it?" I asked in the still playful tone

"It's missing something." She said simply looking out the window

"Like what?" I asked, she looked over at me with just a hint of a smile

"Something genuine." She said, I was surprised not sure what to say.

"What?" I asked finally, she smiled at me

"You heard me, I think there's more to you than munny and rivals."

"Oh? Why do you think that?" I asked putting up a slight defensive guard

"Because you helped me." She said simply. I just looked at her for a minute. I didn't know what to say really.

"_Low Fuel_" A robotic feminine voice interrupted.

"What?" I check the gauge. "Oh come on dad..." I muttered, guess he didn't fill the tank.

"Hunter...we're gonna make it right?"

"Don't worry Bambi. The world is right down there, we'll be fine." I told her starting to take the ship down. "Can you hit the world dot on the map and see where we are?" I asked. She reached over with her small hand and touched the dot. The world popped up with a name and description, "What's it say?" I asked, a little too busy to read it

"Radiant Garden." She read, from her tone she hadn't heard of it, but I've heard it mentioned.

"Alright." I said then the ship lurched violently as we broke the atmosphere. That's when the problems started, gravity kicked in and with too low fuel to fight it properly. We were dropping like a rock.

"Hunter, please tell me you know how to land this."

"Not exactly." I said fighting with the wheel to remain in control

"What? I thought you said you knew."

"I said I knew the basics."

"That includes landing."

"Well I've never actually flown it."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope. Now hang on tight." I said yanking the wheel up, the nose came up fast. Xion let out a slight scream gripping the arm rests. I leveled out the ship and we started a rough glide down. The landing was by no means smooth, the nose buried it's self into the ground of a giant gorge.

It finally came to a stop, our harness belts had tightened themselves, and Xion had grabbed my arm. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and sat back, breathing heavy

"You okay?" I asked her, I looked around and over at her. Things had fallen, buttons and switches had broken off, wires hanging, walls intended in, basically the inside was a mess. Xion had a few scraps on her.

"Yes I'm fine. Are you?" She asked me, she was looking at my forehead. I felt the hot sticky liquid starting down my face, I obviously got a cut up there.

"Yeah, I'm okay." I said unbuckling my harness and she unbuckled hers. She got up and waited for me. I put my hands on the armrest to get up, only thing was I couldn't. I fell back down as a sharp pain went through my leg. "Agh."

"Hunter. You alright?" She asked coming over,

"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." I waved her off.

"No you're not." She said going to my left leg. Part of the wall indented on it, I didn't even feel it cut as deep as it was till I saw it, then I had to grit my teeth. "I'll get you out, don't worry."

"I'm not worrying." I told her calmly, I was pretty good at keeping calm. But I was surprised when a Keyblade appeared in Xion's hand. "You're a Keybearer too?" I asked, she looked over and nodded.

She used the blade and leverage, she put it between the wall and my leg and used it to pushed the bent wall up a few inches. I grabbed my leg and moved it out from under it. She let her blade disappear and came over helping me up.

"It's okay I got it." I told her, she gave me a 'yeah right' look but stepped back with her arms crossed. I tried to walk but fell forward and she caught me "Fine. I don't got it." I said, she helped me out of the ship into the gorge. She was looking around.

"Look over there, there's a castle and a town. There will be someone there to help." Xion said starting to lead me there.

"Unless they don't like strangers." I said joking and she sighed

"Think positively will you?"

"I was joking Xion." I said and she wouldn't look at me. "Hey relax Bambi it'll be okay." She looked at me for a second then continued.

"I know." She said and we started to walk (and me limp) towards the town. Hopefully there will be someone to help.

~Nellie POV~

I brushed my dark brown hair out of my face as I walked through the rather quaint town. Surprisingly, none of the townspeople questioned me being there. I suppose random visitors must have become a very common occurrence for the people of Radiant Garden. Most of the buildings were made of yellowed brick with orange shingled roofs. I wanted to go look at some of the shops, but I simply didn't have the time. I continued on with my journey, following the worn sign posts that directed me to an area called the Bailey; it also appeared that I had just left an area known as the Marketplace. I hoped my younger sister, Chrissie would be alright. We had traveled here together although she didn't have much interest in why I had come here.

I was still surprised that no one had noticed me; but I did look rather unassuming in my white button-up shirt, my orange plaid skirt, my brown sweater, my knee high socks, and loafers. I suppose I wouldn't have suspected me either. I reached a very large, old gate. I peered through its barred door; I could make out a huge castle surrounded by what appeared to be the start of a garden. It looked like the whole place was in a state of repair. I realized that there was no lock on the gate so I carefully pushed it open and slipped inside. I walked down the beautiful stone path towards the castle, it looked very grand but there were parts of machinery that gave it a warped appearance. Although, those parts seemed much less numerous then they should to be effective; it seemed that the castle was undergoing restoration to its original self.

"Hello?" I called, probably a bit too softly. I adjusted my brown, leather bag over my shoulder as I kept walking. The path opened up to a large circular area, it looked very beautiful; however, I couldn't help but think how much prettier it must have once looked. I glanced up the steps to where a man stood. He had short red hair and a brutish appearance; he was wearing a dark grey uniform. "Um, Hello?" I repeated as I walked over. He grunted in some form of a greeting. "May I enter the castle?" I asked as I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.

He seemed to ponder my question, "What's your business?" he asked. He had a right to; after all I didn't even belong in this world.

"Oh, I…" I struggled to come up with a good enough reason that didn't make me seem absolutely crazy, "I would like to review the research that was conducted here approximately ten years ago," I explained as I nervously fiddled with the strap of my bag.

"You aren't part of the Restoration Committee," he stated. I had the feeling that his statement clearly showed he would not let me see that data, why else would he say something so obvious. Clearly, it was for my benefit.

"No, I'm not," I replied, "Will you at least take me to speak with a scientist who worked here? Preferably one familiar with the data."

"I have to admit, it's quite odd to have someone asking about data so old," I heard a voice remark from behind me, I turned around to see a blonde man clad in a lab coat.

"Oh, well, I suppose it is." I murmured, I held out my hand, "My name is Cornelia Dawson, although I go by Nellie."

He shook my hand as he said, "Even. And you already met Aeleus," he remarked as he gestured towards the tall guard.

"May I see the data?" I asked carefully.

"Most of it was corrupted a long time ago," Even replied with the wave of his hand, "If that's all you need then you should be on your way."

I stared, "Oh. Well can I at least look around inside?"

If you must," Even remarked, Aeleus opened the door to the castle, revealing a very beautiful entrance hallway. I stepped inside, Even followed me in. "Ienzo!" Even called. A young man, wearing a similar lab coat appeared, he had dark blue eyes and grey-blue hair that fell over one of his eyes. "Cornelia Dawson has requested access to the castle, would you mind accompanying her?"

"I'm more than capable of-" I started to say.

Ienzo nodded, although he hesitated before saying, "Yes, I do believe that I have some free time. However, Even, I must request that you continue cleaning up the castle while I'm showing her around." He remarked. Even didn't seem happy about being told to clean up, but he didn't argue as he headed off. Ienzo looked at me, "My name is Ienzo, I believe he said that yours is Cornelia Dawson, correct?"

"Yes, although I'm normally called Nellie," I admitted.

"Well, Ms. Dawson, is there anything in particular you'd like to know about?" Ienzo asked as he gestured down a corridor, I walked over towards him and we headed down the corridor.

"Well, the research that was conducted here," I whispered as I slightly pushed my glasses up.

"I will answer your question, Ms. Dawson, but first may I ask why it interests you?" Ienzo murmured.

"Oh…" I wanted to lie, but I couldn't think of any good lies. And I was a terrible liar anyway so I told the truth, "Well, my late father, Jeremy Dawson, worked here for less than a month. He would never share what he worked on here with me, only that it was dangerous, from then on he was always a bit hesitant to share parts of his research with me." I looked away from Ienzo as I felt my cheeks flush; I didn't mean to ramble about my past.

Ienzo nodded slightly, "Well, the research itself was about the heart and the darkness inside it. For example, the creation of the Heartless, beings created purely of darkness upon a person losing their heart."

"Oh," I whispered, "But what happens to their body?" I asked, "I think I remember seeing something in my father's notes about 'Nobodies' and I heard about them in Traverse Town once…." I muttered.

"Yes, Nobodies are the empty body of the person," He replied, for a moment he seemed very distant; as though recalling a past event. "Devoid of a heart, they cannot feel emotion," he added. We continued heading down the winding corridors until we reached a large study.

"Ienzo, thank you for showing me around," I whispered as I looked at him closely. I wanted to tell him about how much it meant to me to be able to see a place where my father had worked. As though maybe knowing this would bring me closer to him, as though maybe I could finally feel peace about his death. But I couldn't say that, it wasn't worth it to scare off everyone I meet with my issues.

"Oh, it isn't a problem," Ienzo replied with a small smile. We were silent as I walked around the study. It had a large round desk with many bookcases. I noticed there was an area on the wall that wasn't as dusty as the rest of the wall; suggesting a large picture had once sat there.

"Why did you agree to show me around?" I asked as I looked at him. If this were my lab I sure as heck wouldn't let some random girl in.

"Well, Even was the one who agreed to let you inside the castle," Ienzo explained, "We are also not on the best terms with the Restoration Committee at present so I only guessed that they would think we were up to something if we refused to allow entrance to someone who was curious as to what our current, or even past, agenda was."

"I wouldn't have complained to the Restoration Committee about not being let in," I remarked.

"On the contrary, Ms. Dawson, you wanted in desperately. You would have found out that they particularly own this castle as well and would have asked them to allow you in, in which by some chance you would have also mentioned that we refused to let you in," Ienzo replied.

"Okay. I'm not going to disagree," I muttered. Ienzo smiled at me gently, I returned his small smile.

"If I may ask another question of my own, are you a scientist as well?" Ienzo asked, he started organizing some of the books on the table. Clearly not being able to resist the urge to clean the place up.

"Um, yes, to an extent, I suppose," I murmured as I picked up a few of the books from the floor and handed them to him. "It's not like I have a lab like this or even a specific research focus," I muttered.

"Well, what are you researching right now?" Ienzo asked as I handed him the books.

"Oh, I was looking into what causes some people to be able to wield a keyblade and what spurs the use of magic in people," I explained, "Of course I didn't get very far. I was stuck in Traverse Town without any proper space to work."

Ienzo nodded knowingly, "I believe that our lab will probably return to the focus of darkness in people's hearts. Only now we will try to develop theories as to how to more effectively deal with the heartless and how to return people's hearts." He rambled slightly.

"Um, Ienzo?" I whispered as I extended my hand, the book was wrapped up in a soft shade of purple as I lifted my hand and the book floated up to rest on the pile of books. I didn't necessarily mean to reveal my ability to manipulate gravity, but I had gotten so used to using it that it just sort of happened, "Oops…." I muttered before even getting to my question.

He raised his eyebrows, "Well, Ms. Dawson, it seems you control gravity."

"Yeah," I muttered, I waved my hand, "But that's not really important. At least, I don't think it's that important…"

He slightly chuckled, "Alright then, what were you going to ask?"

"If you and Even needed a hand running the lab I could help. Even if it's just cleaning up, I could use the experience and this seems like as good a place to work as any…" I murmured.

"Hm…" Ienzo murmured, "We could use the help, but, Ms. Dawson, are you sure that you would like to get involved in all the history surrounding this place?"

"I think I can handle it," I laughed, "I happen to have quite the warped history myself. Perhaps this place and me were made for each other," I joked.

"Well, then it would be a pleasure to work with you," Ienzo remarked as he extended his hand. I shook it. "However, I will still have to run the idea by Even, but he won't argue with it." He stated, sounding quite sure. I wondered what I had gotten myself into; this place did feel like it was clouded by terrible events. Maybe, if I figured out what happened here and how to fix these past mistakes I could find a way to be at peace with what had happened to me on Destiny Islands two years ago. But I doubted it.

"Thank you," I whispered as I clasped my hands together.

"Well then," he gestured towards the door, "We should go and speak with Even." He walked out of the room and back into the rather confusing corridors. I understood why Even had insisted I brought Ienzo with me in the first place. With Ienzo leading the way we reached the entrance hall without any difficulty. Even was sweeping the floor, although it barely looked like he'd made a dent in most of the dust that coated this place.

"There you are," Even sighed, a bit irritably, as he looked at the two of us.

"Hello to you too, Even," Ienzo remarked, "Ms. Dawson will be working here now."

"Really? You aren't even asking anyone else's opinion on this?" he grumbled.

"I couldn't think of a good enough reason for you to oppose it," Ienzo replied, "We need the help and she was kind enough to offer up her assistance."

Even didn't argue as he said, "I see your point, Ienzo, but from now on ask me first." He sighed, obviously giving up on trying to overpower Ienzo's opinion.

"Even, I'm more than happy to help with the cleaning and I'll understand if you don't want me directly involved in your research," I stated, "My previous experience isn't extensive and I'm very thankful for this opportunity."

"See? She's a perfect fit," Ienzo remarked with a shrug.

"Alright, fine," Even sighed, "Did Ienzo give a disclaimer about what happened here?"

"He mentioned that something did happen," I replied, "I'm not much of a risk taker but I don't mind risks."

"Well that's good," Even remarked, "You can start work here tomorrow."

"Um, I actually don't have much else to do, so I'm fine spending the rest of the day here cleaning up," I offered.

"I'm sure that we both appreciate your commitment," Ienzo remarked with a smile. "That would be very helpful."

"We should probably find you a lab coat…" Even muttered. Ienzo nodded as he walked off, he returned with a white lab coat in his hands, he handed it to me. I set my bag down by the door as I slipped it on; although it was a bit large for me I just rolled the sleeves up to my elbows.

"It suits you," Ienzo noted. I grinned, I was trying to suppress it but I was very excited to get to work here. I had always wanted to work in a real lab, sure it was messy now but with some work we'd have this place back in business in no time."Ms. Dawson, you mentioned being from Traverse Town, do you have a place to stay?" Ienzo asked.

"Well, not exactly, but I'm here with my sister, Chrissie, so we'll probably just stay at some inn." I replied with a shrug.

"Alright, if later you require somewhere else you may stay in the castle," Ienzo replied.

"Thank you," I remarked, trying not to gush. Even handed me the broom he had been using to sweep.

"I hope you were serious about helping," he remarked. I nodded as I started sweeping. Ienzo turned to go.

"I'll be back in the study organizing if you require my assistance," he remarked over his shoulder as he walked down the corridor. Even shook his head as he headed down a different corridor. Leaving me to sweep up the entrance hall by myself, although I was okay with that I doubted I'd be able to find my way out if I went down any of the corridors. After a while, and a lot of sweeping, I walked over to the door, I slightly opened it.

"Aeleus?" I remarked as I leaned the broom against the wall. I walked outside, "I figured I should inform you that I'm going to be working here…" I whispered. He grunted in recognition. "Also, it's getting late so I'm going to leave; please tell Even and Ienzo that I'll be back tomorrow."

"Alright," He replied as I closed the door behind me. I headed back down the street towards the area called the Borough, I hoped I would find Chrissie there…. If not, maybe the Marketplace.

~Chrissie POV~

The architecture of Radiant Garden was captivating. I found myself getting lost in the simple beauty of the stone buildings and the intriguing people strolling along the streets. This was everything I'd dreamed of… But something sent tingles down my spine; this place had history. I shook my head and smiled slightly as I approached one of the shops. My hand brushed the door as I pushed it open. The sign outside had implied it was an accessory shop; so, I'd assumed it would be run by a cranky older women, instead, I was greeted by the sight of three little adorable ducks all sitting on the counter.

"Look we have a customer," the one in red basically shouted as he smiled up at me. The other two jumped up quickly and tried to look professional.

"Hi, I'm Christina," I said as I shook each one of their… wings..? Or maybe hands? "But feel free to call me Chrissie," I added with a smile as I pushed a strand of my long blonde hair over my shoulder.

"I'm Huey," The one in the red said as he pushed past his brothers which made me giggle. He was definitely a troublemaker.

"I'm Dewey," The one in the blue said. Something about him made me think of Nellie. Maybe it was the way he held himself… He was the brains of the group that much I was certain of. Or at the very least he liked to think of himself as such.

The last duckling was in green and he looked slightly lost as he bumbled his way over to where I was, "and I'm… uhhh…. I'm Louie." He looked like a total sweetheart with his cute smile. Who would have thought three ducks could win over my heart?

"So, what do you three have for sale?" I inquired as I toyed with my charm bracelet.

"Lots of stuff!" Huey said basically jumping up and down.

Dewey then was all business as he pointed out all the available merchandise; one in particular caught my eye, "Is that a good luck charm?" I asked pointing towards a keychain that had a small clover on it.

"Probably," Louie said with a huge smile.

"I'll take it," I replied. I'd always had an obsession with fairytales and luck, so, this was the perfect trinket. I handed over the munny with a quick smile as I headed for the door. I stumbled a little as I walked down the sidewalk… my one true curse was my clumsiness; which, I seemed to be tempting by wearing pink wedge heels and a pink ruffled skirt.

I looked up at the sky as I closed my eyes slightly; I adored the feeling of the sun on my face. I turned around a bit too quickly as I was, once again, sent stumbling forward. This time though I actually fell onto my knees.

"Just my luck," I mumbled as I glanced up at a pair of feet. The boy in front of me had strawberry blonde hair and a slight limp… he held out his hand and I gratefully took it with a smile. He pulled me up but he had a slightly pained expression; which, was how I realized he had hurt his leg. Lucky for him I was just the person who could fix it.

"How'd you hurt yourself?" I asked, he shook his head slightly.

"Am I that obvious?" He asked with a smile but by the way he was balancing his weight it was clear as day to me.

"Kind of," I admitted, "May I look at it?"

"Trust me, you don't want too," He replied.

"I think I can help," I offered up with a smile which he gratefully returned. "Sit down," I instructed.

"On the sidewalk?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yep," I chirped. He stared disbelievingly, "Trust me," I added. He gave a shrug as he sat down. I slowly pulled up his pant leg to revel a deep gash… it looked horribly painful and it made me cringe a little… still it wasn't anything I couldn't fix. I sat down as I raised my hands slightly just above his wound. I muttered a couple words as two faint lines resembling branches wrapped around his leg. I slowly closed my eyes as I felt the faint the power blossoming at my fingertips. I touched his leg gently and as I opened my eyes I saw a green glow spread across his leg as the wound closed up. He was staring wide eyed at me.

"You're a healer?" a woman with green eyes and a long brown braid asked.

"I guess she is…." The boy said which was when I realized I didn't know his name.

"Yep," I said with a smile; as they both stared at me like I might be slightly insane, "I also have an affection for plant magic," I added with a bigger grin.

"You're just what the Restoration Committee needs," The women said with a gentle smile as she introduced herself "My name is Aerith."

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Chrissie," I stated as I stood up and gave her a hand shake.

"Well… I take it I'm no longer needed," The boy said with a small wink as he stood up and turned to leave.

"Wait a second, what's your name?" I asked as I slightly grabbed his wrist.

"It's Logan, and thanks for the help, Doc," He joked with a smile as he walked away.

"I was wondering if you'd like too met the rest of the Restoration Committee before you decide if you'd like to help or not," Aerith said with a smile as she lead me off to a man named Merlin's house, I guess this was their base of operations. We only had to walk a short bit before we reached our destination. As soon as the door was opened I was greeted by a colorful cast of characters.

"Who's this?" an inquisitive redhead asked nicely.

"This is Chrissie, she has a profound healing ability," Aerith said with a smile towards all the others.

"That'll come in handy with all the heartless attacks," a girl resembling a ninja said with a huge grin. I glanced around the room feeling brutally overwhelmed. "I'm Yuffie, by the way," the girl added with an even bigger grin.

"It's nice to meet you," I said with a smile before adding, "All of you."

"Well you've already meet Aerith, and now Yuffie, I'm Tifa," Another women said with a smile in my direction, "That boy over there is Arc, he and Ria are our newest members." A brunette boy, I assumed must have been Arc, gave me a shy smile, and the redheaded girl, who must have been Ria, gave a small smile and nod in my direction.

"There's also Leon and Sid, but they're on a quick mission; also, of course, Merlin but he isn't in either," Yuffie said with a huge grin, she seemed very enthusiastic.

"So... what does the Restoration Committee do exactly…? I'm kind of new here," I admitted sheepishly with a smile.

"We're just trying to get Radiant Garden back to its old glory," Tifa said with a grin and a flip of her hair. They all were definitely determined… which was a good thing…. It made me feel welcome.

"That's a noble goal… if you don't mind my asking… why would you be in need of a healer?" I asked it as gently as possible. I just honestly couldn't fathom why they'd be in need of someone like me.

"Well the heartless attacks are increasing… it's worrisome," Arc said with a gentle shake of his head.

"So the more people who know healing magic the better," Yuffie chirped with a thrust of her fist in the air.

"I see… Well to be honest I'm not that gifted; I only have a slight talent for both healing and plant magic…" I said nicely hoping they wouldn't be disappointed I was such a bust.

"That's fine, a little is better than none, and Merlin can totally train you," Yuffie gushed excitedly. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet with a big grin plastered on her face.

"Plus even a little help is appreciated," Ria said with a kind smile.

"Then, I'd be happy to help; but, first, I need to go check in with my sister, Nellie," I said, as I turned towards the door; Nellie might not have admitted it, but she was pretty protective of me. I walked outside, humming softly under my breath. I skipped forward daydreaming until I ran right into someone.

"I'm so sorry, are you alright?" I asked the person who I had just bumped into. He had dark spiky hair and piercing yellow eyes. He slightly glared at me a bit, and I didn't blame him… I had just run into him after all.

"You should watch where you're going," He pointed this out with a smirk. It was then that I noticed his attire; he was wearing a black shirt that had tints of red and dark jeans.

"I know, I'm really sorry, I just get lost in my head sometimes and…" I bit my lip slowly as I realized I was starting to babble. He was staring at me very intently; it was as if he was looking into my soul…or something.

"You're not from around here, are you?" He asked, leaning back against one of the stone buildings.

"Nope," I replied quickly. I probably wasn't supposed to let that slip…. Oops….

"So, have you realized this place isn't what it appears to be?" He said this with a chuckle and a smirk.

"Well….uh… sure?" I offered up with a slight smile… I was brutally confused.

"Well if you want to learn more I'd suggest starting with that old lab… maybe you'll actually find something useful," He said this with a small smirk and a shake of his head…but, I had to admit, somehow everything he said made me want to know more… who was he? And what had happened here before? And, what in the world did that lab Nellie wanted to work at have to do with it?

**Thank you for reading :D we all appreciate it a lot; we hope that you will take the time to review the story and give us your opinion on things :) Also, if you're interested in getting a better grasp on the OC's we'll be posting their bios on DeviantART so check us out; Our account name is still HeartApart7 so we're easy to find ;) anyway, we hope that you enjoyed it and stick around to read the later chapters :)**


	2. Cause and Effect

Welcome to Chapter 2 of What We Once Were. Thank you for reading!

This chapter's POVs were written by-  
Hunter- Twilight's Inferno  
Sara- SplitPersona2u  
Xanaya- EmoFairy1  
Ria- RisingAngel8  
Disclaimer- We don't own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy just our OCs and our Ideas!  
Reviews are very much appreciated! Enjoy!~

~Hunter POV~

It was late in the night when we finally made it to the town, street lamps were lit so that helped a little. From what I could see this place was kinda beat up, but by the evidence around it was much worse before.

"Xion it's the middle of the night, you saw all the Heartless on the way up. No one's going to be out." I said as we walked only a long walk above houses.

"Hunter we have to find someone soon though."

"I'll be fine till morning. We just have to stop…agh…walking." I grunted when we hit the stairs. That didn't really feel good on the leg

"We can't." She said firmly. I had to admit it, the girl was determined. No lights were on in any of the houses as we continued, we finally came to what looked like a market area. Only thing was there was more stairs to get down to it. We didn't go down, Xion finally just propped me up against a wall. She was tired, I could see it in her eyes.

"Don't worry Bambi, I'll be fine." I told her with a smile, she gave me a very fake slight smile. I looked over her shoulder.

Two teen girls were walking up one with long blonde hair, in a pink skirt, white top, and wedge heels. The other had short brown hair, glasses, an orange plaid skirt, white dress shirt with a brown shoulder sweater, white knee high socks, and brown loafers. They both had the same purple eyes, and by their facial structure they had to be related. They looked over at us, the blonde hair girl's eyes grew in surprise, but the brown haired one just stood there.

"Oh my goodness. Are you okay?" The blonde asked coming over, her heels clicked on the stone. The brunette just walked over behind her, I didn't like the calculating look she was giving us.

"I'm alright. Just got a little hurt." I said, not wanting to ask for help.

"Can you help him?" Xion asked quickly

"Of course." The girl said kneeling down by me. She raised her hand holding it inches from my face. Suddenly there was a cold feeling just above my eyebrow where my cut was, I looked at her confused as the cold changed to warm which went away quickly and left a tingly feeling. I reached up and touched where the cut was and there was no evidence of it.

"Whoa. You know that's pretty cool. So you have magic?" I asked her smiling

"Yes. Healing magic and the ability to control plants," The girl said, "My sister, Nellie," She said with a gesture to the girl behind her, "she controls gravity." The brunette, Nellie, sighed a bit. Like she didn't want people to know. "I'm Chrissie by the way."

"Hunter." I told her with a nod, "This is Xion." I said then flinched when the blonde, Chrissie, touched my leg then rolled up the pant leg to get a better look

"I'm sorry, you okay?"

"I'm fine." I said keeping my voice calm. The cold feeling and then warm tingle went through my leg as she healed it. It was still a bit red when she was done.

"It might be a little sore." Chrissie informed me.

"Alright." I gave her a nod, the street lamp above us flickered out.

"I guess they haven't fix _everything_ yet." I heard what had to be Nellie say. I smiled, a chance to impress. I extended my hand

"No worries." I told them then let a fireball come into my hand. Xion smiled, Chrissie looked really surprised, and Nellie…well, I couldn't tell really she was good at not showing what she was thinking.

"Oh wow. That's amazing." Chrissie said smiling, I saw Nellie roll her eyes behind her.

"What you have a Keyblade too?" Nellie asked slightly mockingly. I gave her a charming smile

"Well as a matter of fact…" I said letting my Keyblade appear in my other hand. Chrissie smiled a little more.

"Wow. I've only heard stories about these well aside from… never mind… it's amazing." Chrissie said in slight awe. Nellie looked annoyed.

"Good guess Nellie. You know you're as smart as you look." I told her with a smile. She gave me a slight glare.

"Are you meaning to imply that my intelligent demeanor shows me as, what's a good word, a nerd, perhaps?" She asked her voice almost cold. I gave her a warm smile,

"Well a cute nerd." I told her with a smile. Xion and Chrissie both smiled at the comment, thinking it was nice probably, that's how I said it. But Nellie, there wasn't a hint of a smile on her face, she gave me a cold glare from behind her glasses, her violet eyes were sharp like she just put me on a very bad list. Guess that was the wrong move Woods.

"Come on Chrissie. We're leaving." Nellie practically ordered her sister.

"I want to make sure he's all okay." Chrissie said

"He's fine, let's go Chrissie." Nellie said and Chrissie got up to follow.

"Thank you for helping." Xion said, Chrissie turned and smiled

"You're welcome. Oh and there's an inn down the street there." She informed us.

"Thanks Chrissie." I told her. She nodded, smiled, then went to catch up with her sister and they disappeared into the dark. "Well then…" I said after a bit

"Come on. We better go to that inn." Xion said standing up, I got up slowly. Chrissie was right, my leg was a little sore, but I could walk now.

So we walked together, my little fire ball lighting the way as we went.

~Sara POV~

I felt something soft brush my leg, then my arm. I wanted to move but I couldn't. Something rough and wet scraped my forehead. My eyes flew open and I sucked in a deep breath. I felt my heart beating soundly in my chest. I sat up slowly and carefully looking around for what had disturbed my sleep and there he was; Shadow my heartless cat glared at me from the top of my pillow.

"Hi Shadow! Oh you look sort of angry… Did I sleep through training again?" I questioned.

'Look around you.' His voice rang through my head as clear as day. But he spoke urgently, was something wrong?

I turned my head and studied the room around me, it was dark but I could still tell…

"This isn't Land of Departure!" I exclaimed a small note a fear crept into my voice. "Where are we?" I asked standing up slowly.

'You have slept a long time Sara, Land of Departure has disappeared and it seems that we have all been kept in this…chamber.' Shadow forgot to mention a very important point.

"Where are the others?" I murmured quietly.

'Sleeping as you have been, and if it wasn't for me you would be sleeping still.' I took a step forward cautiously the clack of my pink heels echoed around the room. I looked around to see if anyone had noticed but it seemed I was alone, with Shadow and countless sleeping students.

'Let's get out of here.' Shadow instructed pointing one way with his tail. I started walking in the other direction determined to find _him_. 'Please tell me you're not looking for Thanos!' Shadow pleaded.

"He's my friend and I owe him my destiny, I'm not leaving him." I kept walking in silence, Shadow followed, sulking. We walked passed hundreds of people all asleep waiting for a morning that would never come. And then I saw him, He was hard to miss with his red jacket black shirt, black jeans with silver chains attached, black shoes and of course his red hat. He was also holding a relatively large knife and I really don't want to know what he was doing before turning in for the night all those years ago. I glanced at Shadow who glared defiantly up at me. I glared at him, my piercing green eyes boring straight through his yellow ones. He sighed his black fur ruffling as he approached Thanos and licked his forehead. Thanos' blue eyes flew open immediately starting to change to red.

"Thanos! Don't go Blood Night on my cat!" I yelled throwing myself in front of Thanos.

"He licked me." Thanos spoke in his deep dangerous voice.

"It was the only way to wake you up! We slept through our present time Thanos, we're in the future!" I said excitedly. Thanos pulled off his hat and ran a hand through his brown hair.

"I wonder if this means my records clear…" Thanos wondered and then smiled evilly before pulling up his black face mask and adjusting his hat. I smoothed down my pink sundress to avoid answering Thanos.

'Let's get out of here…' Shadow reminded me.

"Oh good idea! Let's!" I turned towards the exit and started walking.

"What did the cat say?" Thanos asked.

"Oh he wants to leave this place." I answered remembering quickly that only I could hear Shadow.

"Hmm" Thanos responded following us while spinning the knife around in his hand. I explained to him, on our long walk, what was going on although he really didn't seem to care so much. Finally I pushed open a huge door and felt the wind from the outside blow my long brown hair out behind me I caught a quick flash of pink as my pink ribbon was caught by the wind.

"There's my ride." Thanos said suddenly pointing towards a gummi ship.

"Oh do you know who owns it?" I spoke nervously.

"No." Thanos said uncaringly. "I'm going to Twilight Town." He then announced and walked over to the gummi ship and after hot-wiring the engine he got in and took off.

I started to freak out after Thanos was gone, sure he was pretty much a fugitive but at least he could kill anything that got close to us.

'Why don't we go visit your home world?' Shadow suggested seeming to guess my dilemma.

"Uh, sure!" I said unsurely. I through my keyblade into the air and summoned my keyblade glider. It was shaped like a motorcycle almost without the wheels and the seat was slightly plusher. The body color was a silvery pink color I sat down in the seat and Shadow leaped into my lap. I revved the engine and I flew through the atmosphere of the world and headed straight towards Traverse Town.

I landed in Traverse Town and looked around. It seemed exactly the same. In fact I was beginning to wonder if Shadow had lied to me about this being the future. Then suddenly a loud wailing siren suddenly people raced out of their houses and hung up some charm thing. I got a closer look at one, it looked like a broken heart supported by thin strands. The lights of houses turned off, window blinders were stretched over windows, some people came back outside lighting 3 candles and rushing back in and locking the door. On some homes you could see a fiery glow where I assumed there would be 3 candles as well. One small kid came running up the street screaming "The heartless are coming!" He disappeared in a house and I summoned my keyblade Wave of Destiny. Shadow got into a fighting position and we waited for the heartless to come but all that came was a mangy looking dog.

"False Alarm!" A loud voice said over some kind of speaker. I threw my keyblade up into the air. This wasn't my Traverse Town, everything had changed, now the people here were just superstitious freaks. I forced the threat of tears from my eyes, hopping on my glider and flying away from there, as fast as humanly possible. The funny thing though, about going as fast as humanly possible, is that you mess up and in this case I nearly crash landed on to this semi destroyed world.

'Pull up before you kill us!' screamed Shadow. I grimaced as I pulled the vehicle into a landing position. I coasted down toward the lights of a town in the distance and as soon as we got close I stopped.

"Where are we?" I asked my cat.

'It seems like I remember this place being called…Radiant Gardens.'

"Wow what a lovely name!" I gushed, as I strolled the streets quietly with Shadow. I soon came upon a scene I was used to but still didn't like. Thanos was following a cute blond girl who was dressed in a white shirt, pink ruffled skirt and wedge heels. I ran to catch up with Thanos before he ripped her head off, literally!

"Thanos!" I hissed at him while dragging him into an alley, "I told you not to go around randomly killing people."

"Well what else can we do? It's not like this is our time period. Plus I won't get caught." Thanos' eyes lit up slightly, I could tell he was grinning evilly under his facemask.

"Well I guess we have to make our destinies then!" I proclaimed, "and Thanos that doesn't involve killing everyone!" Thanos sighed and then suggested we find somewhere to stay for awhile because who knows how long it will take to come up with a destiny.

~Xanaya POV~

I hated that new experiment of my father's, I was his experiment not her. I couldn't take it. What troubled me more though was I felt sorry for her. I never felt things but this time I did. What Desiderio was doing was wrong. I had to leave. I wasn't going to be apart of this.

I stumbled through part of a dark and dreary cave. It's what Desiderio used as a nice big lab which you could find deep in the heart of the cave. However I was heading away from it. I didn't want to deal with his new experiment and I wanted out. Let's just say Desi and his experiments were going to get a gift that would blow them away. I grabbed a torch and used the wall and Eithera, my tiny heartless shadow creature that i found that actually had someone's heart in it, guide me. My light blue and grey wings fluttered nervously as I kept going. I found a room. Just the room I wanted. I snatched up a black over the shoulder bag and and found some of Desiderio's files he kept hidden. I stuffed Eithera in there as well and took off running. If anyone knew how to navigate these caves it was me.

Eithera stuck her head out and made a little noise that sounds like an 'Ahrgha.' I looked over my shoulder but nothing was there. I kept running. I was sorta thankful that Desiderio trained me for endurance. I snatched my weapon FaerieDust from its holder. It was purple and was a special Lance/Staff/Bow hybrid. I burst out into the open air. The bright lights blinded for a bit and the slap of the fresh spring plants from the jungle was a smack to my face which my lungs took in happily.

I ran through what Desiderio called Deep Jungle. It had vines all over the place and large trees and some stuff which I didn't know the name of but I knew it was good sliding on when you wanted to sneak up and kill something quickly. I ended up slightly tripping over some broken boxes, vases, and useless weapons and I found a broken Greek vase. I stopped and picked up the greek piece. On it was sketched picture of a mother, father, daughter, and son. The children looked too be about 2 years apart. Something about it just seemed. . . . familiar. I stuffed it in the bag next to Eithera and went on. As we ran I heard a large boom in the distance and saw an explosive cloud. A cheery feeling entered my heart but my face remained brutal and unforgiving.

I found a main port where many people came too and from probably just sight seeing and such. I recognized it from the map I stole from Desiderio. I watched people from the shadows. My annoyingly long purple and black hair blew in the wind along with my gold and grey swirled see through skirt wrap. I adjusted my brown wrap, around knee length sandals, and my gold and grey arm gloves. I saw a weird looking egg shaped thing. It was blue and had weird fin like things on it. I guessed people rode this or something but it looked a flat fish too me. I read the words on it saying World travel. I figured it could take me somewhere else I grabbed it and ran.

In midst run the machine thing came on and I was surrounded by weird light and shadows. I got pretty dizzy when my focus came back and I was in some weird cavern thing. It was kinda dark and menacing and had better etched out walls then Desiderio's weirdo place. I heard a voice that was kinda deep and dramatic. I inched closer in the darkness. I felt Eithera sink down in my backpack that wasn't a good sign. I zipped it up slowly so that Eithera was covered.

A deep scraggly old voice started to speak, "Traverse town will be first to go as possibly an enjoyable decoy."

Eithera moved in my bag a sign that it was time to leave. I ran quietly using my wings to make me lighter on the ground and much quicker. I may not have been able to fly on these giant fairy wings but I could sure as heck push myself to run faster and quieter. I had to make a lot of twist and turns and got lost a few times in my run. I heard a few steps come after me but I sped up to lose whoever that creeper was. I finally made it out into the blinding light once again. I found a very sad looking town. I heard voices in it but the town looked torn to pieces. I slowly climbed my way up towards an area of falling water. I looked up and saw someone with long flowing brown hair and nice looking black jacket that had white fuzz on it. I was definitely going to have too get me one of those. I glared when I saw it was a man. I found some stairs and put my foot on one of them. I felt really dizzy now and not so hot. My throat felt dry and I was a little queasy. Maybe I would feel better at the top. I made my way slowly and stumbled a bit before falling.

The man caught me, "Woah hang in there. I'll take you to our Healer. Don't worry." I tried to shove a dagger into his chest or something to get the male away but the most I got out of it was a limp body and a black out.

~Ria POV~

The heartless populations were growing with each coming day. The problem seems to have spread to Transverse Town, and who knows where else. Floods of people were migrating to Radiant Garden for protection, but most of the refugees we've gotten were from Traverse Town. They say heartless populations were growing at an alarming rate, and they didn't have the necessary protection. But, just a few days ago, an old enemy appeared. It had been almost 11 years since the unversed wreaked havoc, and they chose _now _to resurface. Because of them our enemies have almost doubled in numbers, but at least we hadn't suffered any casualties. Yet. On top of that, we got a new installment to our team. A girl named Chrissie arrived about a day ago, and helped heal a heavily injured man in just a few minutes. If one of us had tried to aid him, it would have taken _at least_ two hours, and he would have already been dead by then. Without her, we would have lost him. Even with Chrissie, the Restoration Committee is still too small to handle all of the world's troubles. Just eight active members against legions of heartless, and unversed. I don't think we'll be able to stand our ground for long . . .

Radiant Garden was one of the most protected worlds. We have an active defense system called Claymore to kill off weaker heartless, like shadows, and to occupy stronger ones, like wyverns, until a committee member arrives to handle the situation. Just recently, when the heartless populations increased, we set up safe-houses for the citizens. However, the city's walls were still in repair so when Leon told me that a party of heartless, and unversed managed to enter the city, I wasn't surprised.

"We need to you guard safe-house 88. It's the closest safe-house to where the heartless, and unversed were last spotted. We were told that it was a small group, so you should be able to handle them on your own." explained Leon.

"Right." I said. As I turned to leave Merlin's house, Leon placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Just remember, the lives of those citizens are in your hands, Ria. Be careful, and never underestimate the enemy." murmured Leon.

When I arrived at safe-house 88, I realized something. Someone screwed up on the numbering! There were only 50 safe-houses throughout Radiant Garden! If I wasn't underage, I would have bet it was either Yuffie or Arc.

My attention turned back to the safe-house. Everything seemed quiet. No one was on the street this late anyways. Even if they were they would have left after we sent out the alert about the pack of heartless, and unversed in the area. I noticed it was slowly getting darker outside. The street lights began to flicker on, barely illuminating the night.

'I should get inside the safe-house, the heartless will gain the upper hand in the dark. I'm not sure about the unversed, but I'm not taking my chances.' I thought to myself.

The citizens inside had barred the door, so it took some convincing before I could actually get in. When I entered, I found close to twenty people inside. Only six men were present, the rest were women, and children.

"Have you found any sign of the heartless or unversed?" I asked.

"No, they haven't shown themselves yet. Personally, I think they left. I mean, the streets are bare. It's like a ghost town out there so they probably just left when they couldn't find any victims. You guys said it was a small group anyways. Nothin' to worry about." replied one of the men.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, both of them travel in packs. Their numbers could have increased. Wait! Where are you going?" I yelled. The man had turned around to leave, and was removing bars from the door. He reached for the handle when I lunged at him.

"Are you insane? You could be putting all these people's lives at risk!" I screamed as I yanked him back from the door "Don't you care?". But I was too slow. He had already unlocked the door. It swung open revealing nothing but the empty street.

"See? What did I tell you? Will you let go of my freakin' sleeve now?" he asked.

"Sorry sir . . ." I mumbled.

"I told you there was nothing to worry - GAH!" he screamed.

Black claws ripped through his torso, and blood spurted as he fell to the ground. Behind him appeared a shadow. Wait, a shadow did that? How is that possible? They're, like, one of the weakest heartless, not to mention a pureblood!

"Everyone! Get back!" I ordered. I was trying to take control of the situation like Leon had taught me. I had to appear calm, but how could a shadow do something that horrific?

I was flung back into reality by a shriek as more heartless, and unversed poured into safe-house 88. I heard screaming in every direction. I summoned my keyblade, The Fallen Angel, hoping that maybe that would draw their attention away from the citizens. In a flash of light, my keyblade appeared in my hand. The handle was adorned with a set of pure white wings, the neck was sky blue, and the blade was made up of razor sharp feathers.

In an instant, the heartless, and unversed were charging towards me. I did my best to fend them off, but they seemed to multiply. I heard more screams, that's when I realized that they had gotten to the citizens who were hiding in the back of the single roomed safe-house.

"No! Wait!" I screamed "Get out while you still can!"

Several people tried to make it to the door, only to be cut down by several unversed who had broken in. My world tipped sideways as a flood unversed knocked me down. I couldn't see past the morphing shapes of black, and blue to see if anyone was still alive. How could this have happened? Just then, I remembered what Leon had told me before I left:

"Just remember, the lives of those citizens are in your hands, Ria."


	3. Awakening

**Kingdom Hearts: What We Once Were **

**Chapter 3- Awakening **

**We greatly appreciate anyone taking their time to read this :D and we'd love if you'd comment/review to let us know what you think ;) anyway, please enjoy and we look forward to hearing from you :)**

**(POV's are being written by the same people they were written by in the previous two chapters) **

~Nellie POV~

I walked towards the castle, its warped sight still seeming rather unfamiliar to me. I had been working there for only two days, well my first day was hardly real work, but my second day was still cleaning…"Well, it looks… interesting…." Chrissie murmured.

"It looks a bit better inside," I remarked as we walked towards the entrance; the blue mountains of Radiant Garden curling up along the passage.

"Oh, It's fine, with a little work it could be beautiful," Chrissie decided cheerfully as we entered the castle. I laughed a little; leave it to my sister to keep up her ever positive attitude.

"Well, I really don't know what you'll find here; most of the information stored on the computer was corrupted…" I remarked as I crossed my arms.

"Maybe, I'll find something, you don't know unless you try, right?" Chrissie giggled as she clasped her hands together.

I rolled my eyes, "Of course…" suddenly I heard voices coming from a nearby room. I raised my hand slightly to shush Chrissie before she said anything. I walked over to the room, making sure to be quiet. I hated how confusing the corridors were, this door, however, wasn't very far into it so I could at least easily get back to the main entrance. "Shhh, "I whispered as I raised my finger to my lips, Chrissie nodded as we huddled next to the door, which was luckily slightly ajar.

"That's Leon, I heard about him, he's the leader of the Restoration Committee," Chrissie murmured; gesturing slightly to a man with brown hair who was wearing a black jacket lined with a sort of faux, at least I assumed it was faux, fur.

"Listen, the last time there was a heartless problem in Radiant Garden this lab was the reason for it," The man named Leon remarked. He was talking to a man with long, spiky red hair.

"So you think it is now?" the redhead murmured as he crossed his arms and lazily leaned back against the wall.

"Listen, I don't know if it is or not, I just know that I had an ally of mine killed." Leon remarked, probably a bit too harshly.

"Oh?" the red head murmured as he raised his eyebrows, as though this death was surprising.

"Yeah, a girl only guarding around twenty people who managed to sneak into Radiant Garden from Traverse Town. Not really a huge target, plus we only got notice of a few heartless," Leon muttered as he sat down in a nearby chair.

"I heard the heartless attacks are very bad in Traverse Town… But, back to the girl, if she was killed by heartless you don't think she's a nobody, do you?" The redhead pondered out loud.

Leon sighed, "It's a possibility. She was a very strong willed person, especially when other people were at risk. But I just don't know..."

"I believe I may be able to answer that for you," Ienzo remarked as he entered the room from another door. I sighed in relief, glad that he hadn't entered through this door and seen me and Chrissie. I'm sure he wouldn't approve of my eavesdropping. Leon looked a little surprised as Ienzo continued, "Recently, I detected a very strong scent, I was interested in who it belonged to, however when it was at its strongest, and when I first took notice of it, lasted for a very short period then at the exact time of the incident in which this girl was killed, it completely disappeared. I, myself, was quite surprised by this-"

"Ienzo," The red head remarked, "You can get to the point any time now."

"Alright, since Lea can't handle my explanation, the scent has recently resurfaced. Although it is quite faint," Ienzo remarked as he crossed his arms.

"That's impossible; we saw the wreckage of the safe house. It was destroyed, she couldn't have survived that," Leon argued.

"Oh, of course she didn't survive," Ienzo remarked with the wave of his hand, "I'm only strongly suggesting that she is indeed a nobody. If so, Lea, you must find where she is and train her."

"Wait, what?" Lea, the redhead, gaped.

"We don't need an unstable group of nobodies forming again, but still since she is a nobody it is only right that we offer her some form of guidance. Until, of course, we find a solution to change her back. Nobody's are dangerous, we must deal with this now," Ienzo explained.

"I don't like it, any of this," Leon muttered as he stood up.

"Well, I guess I'll go take care of our new nobody," Lea sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, "I always get stuck with the icky jobs… oh, wait, Leon, what was her name?"

"Ria Nevaeh. I'm going now," Leon remarked as he frowned. Clearly conflicted on the prospect of his ally having become a nobody. Of course, there wasn't absolute certainty that she was, but I had a feeling Ienzo knew what he was talking about, unlike Lea's wild speculation. "I have more pressing things to deal with than this," Leon stormed out, only problem, he picked to storm out of the door Chrissie and I were leaning against. Chrissie bumped into me as we both jumped backwards. Leon stopped dead in his tracks, looking very stunned to see us.

"Hi," Chrissie offered up with a small wave.

"Um, hey," Leon muttered, "Wait! You're Chrissie, right?" Chrissie nodded so he continued, "I've heard that you're an exceptional medic… listen something happened on my last mission, a woman got hurt, it's not too bad but I'd appreciate it if you could take a look," Leon explained.

"Oh, sure," Chrissie exclaimed with a smile, "But there's something I need to do real quick here, but I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Alright, that's fine, again it's not too bad," Leon reassured her before he walked away. Huh, he didn't even ask for my name. But I guess I didn't ask for his either.

Then Ienzo walked out of the door, not looking very surprised to see us, "Hello, Ms. Dawson, oh, who is this?" Ienzo asked, taking notice of my sister.

"I'm Christina Dawson but I go by Chrissie," My sister said with a giggle as she shook his hand, "And you must be Ienzo. Nellie's mentioned a lot about you." I felt a hot blush spread across my cheeks. I didn't really know why, only that It seemed odd for Ienzo to know that I had been talking about him.

"Oh?" Ienzo murmured as he raised his eyebrow in my direction. I mustered up a slight smile. "Well, then, is there anything I can help you with, Ms. Christina?" Ienzo asked, obviously deciding it would be best to address my sister by her full name instead of our shared last name.

"This is a bit of a long shot, but you wouldn't have happened to kind of stumbled upon any data that seems odd, have you?" Chrissie asked awkwardly, even she seemed to be confused as to what she was looking for.

"That is quite vague, however, Even managed to recover some data just last night. It isn't of much substance, however, you're welcome to look at it," Ienzo replied as he guided us down the long corridor to the old study. Upon entering the study Ienzo lead us to another door out of the study into the giant lab area.

"Wow," Chrissie murmured as she looked around the wide blue colored room. The bright blue lights were spread around the room like the veins on someone's arm. Ienzo walked over to the computer and easily pulled up the newly acquired files.

"There you go, I doubt they will be of much interest to you, however they don't exactly fit with most of the research done at this lab," he murmured as he stepped back, allowing Chrissie to go over to the computer. Ienzo looked at me; I shook my head, signaling that I really had no interest in the data. Ienzo hadn't told me about it before now, and he had let my sister he'd never met see it so it couldn't exactly be critical information.

Ienzo walked over to where I stood, "Ms. Dawson, if I may ask, you were present for the conversation I had with Lea and Leon earlier, correct?"

"Um… Yes…" I whispered rather lamely, he'd known that I was there the whole time.

"That is what I thought," He replied. Not really elaborating past that.

"You said that you could… smell people?" I whispered, my eyebrows furrowing.

"Yes, it's not the 'smell' you are thinking of, however. It is more like a… energy." Ienzo replied, "Recently I believed that I had lost the ability to do so; however, I have not."

"Oh," I whispered. I guess that it made sense. I felt like my knowledge of events that were happening in, not only this but other worlds, was so small compared to what there actually was. If it wasn't for my father having been a Keybearer I never would have known any of it. How long could people go on living in such ignorance?

"I think… I may have actually found what I needed," Chrissie giggled as she walked over.

"I'm glad that the information was useful to you," Ienzo replied.

"Thank you so much for showing it to me." Chrissie remarked with a smile as Ienzo led us out of the lab.

"You're welcome," Ienzo politely replied. We were silent as we walked back to the entrance.

"I don't know how you manage to find your way in here," Chrissie laughed when we reached the entrance.

"It becomes easier," Ienzo replied.

"So, Chris, what did you find anyway?" I asked as I crossed my arms.

"Oh, it's a secret," She giggled with a wink. I snorted a bit. She walked out of the door. I rolled my eyes. Leave it to my little sister.

"If you would like, Ms. Dawson, I can tell you the contents of the file," Ienzo offered.

"Oh, no," I laughed with a wave of my hand, "Let her have her secret."

"Oh, there the two of you are!" Even huffed as he walked over, "I hope it isn't too much to ask, Cornelia, but would you mind going out and finding another broom? Unfortunately all of ours but two have been broken…" Even sighed.

"How did that happen?" Ienzo asked, looking surprised.

"Lea decided it would be a good idea to use them as firewood," Even sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Of course he did," Ienzo muttered, "Even, perhaps you should just go out and purchase them yourself?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine doing it, assuming that you have the munny," I remarked. I wasn't particularly happy to have to run chores but considering I was the youngest member here I suppose it was only fair.

"Of course," Even replied as he handed me some munny, it was probably more than enough to buy a few brooms.

"I guess I'll be seeing you later then," I remarked as I walked out with a wave. "Hello, Aeleus," I remarked as I walked past him, I shot him a small smile.

He grunted, "Hello." At least he was starting to say a bit more to me. That was an improvement. I headed down into the restoration site and got to the marketplace. My thoughts had only drifted for a moment when I bumped into him.

"Oh! Excuse me. I apologize, I-" I didn't finish as I realized who he was. I'm sure complete and total awe must have washed over my face. I could never forget his sharp blue eyes, his silver hair seemed rather short, and he was much taller and more muscular than I remembered. "Riku," I exclaimed, my hand shooting up to cover my mouth. Hoping he hadn't heard me say his name.

"Wait, do I know you?" He asked, seeming equally surprised. Probably because I had just said his name.

"I…" I couldn't think. Mentally, I felt like I was flailing around frantically, just like a fish out of water. "I need to go…" I stammered before I turned and ran off, my white lab coat blowing around my ankles as I ducked behind a building.

"Wait," was the only thing I had heard him softly call. I leaned against the building, out of his sight, my hand on my chest. I was ready to start bawling. Maybe my world was okay. Riku was. It was more than I had ever hoped. He was alive, and he looked well. This was all I needed. But still, after these few years, he still didn't know who I was. How could he? How could I expect him to? Especially after how I had just acted. I shook my head as I headed back to the castle. Upon arriving there I realized that I didn't have the broom.

"Where's the broom?" Ienzo asked, surprised to see me empty handed.

"Would you believe me if I said they were sold out?" I muttered as I handed him back the munny, his hand brushed against mine as he took it.

"No, I wouldn't. But Even will," he assured me with a small smile.

"Oh, good, I need… time to think…" I whispered as I crossed my arms.

"Did something happen?" Ienzo asked slowly.

"Um, kind of. Actually, no, not really," I stammered, I brushed my dark brown hair out of my eyes. The truth was so exceptionally bizarre. I hadn't exactly lied to anyone here, I just withheld information they hadn't asked about. I was sure that they'd probably done the same to me. "I think I'm going to go on a short walk…" I muttered.

"If you'd like I could accompany you?" Ienzo offered with a smile.

"I…I would like that," I whispered with a small smile. We ended up walking through the beginning of a garden near the back of the castle. "This area seems like it was once very beautiful…"

"I don't remember much of this place from when I was younger; but what I do remember is, mostly, very nice," Ienzo murmured. I couldn't help but feel that maybe something weird had happened to him too. Probably not exactly like what happened to me. But even quietly knowing that someone else had as screwed up of a past as mine was nice. Suddenly I saw a black creature charging towards us. I let out a soft cry. I was knocked to the ground, only then did I see the heavy book whap into the creature, giving me time to get to my feet as two more of the shadowy creatures joined their companion.

"Are you alright, Ms. Dawson?" He asked, holding a large book in his hands; I believed it was a lexicon.

"Yes, how about you?" I remarked, not taking my eyes off the creatures that had begun to circle us.

"Oh, I'm quite alright," Ienzo replied. When one of the heartless charged at us I lifted my hand, a burst of gravity repelling the creature back. When one of the creatures got closer only then did Ienzo again hit it with the book. Definitely not the most effective strategy, but I had a feeling that book served a greater purpose. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere Aeleus appeared with a giant weapon and easily dispatched our foes with a few well placed swings.

"Are you two okay?" Aeleus asked as he looked at us.

"Of course," Ienzo murmured, his hand came to his chin, "Why were heartless out in broad daylight?"

"I don't know," Aeleus replied, "But one of those creatures was an Unversed."

"A… what?" I asked as I tilted my head.

"It's a creature we had around here a long time ago," Aeleus replied with a shrug.

"These events just keep getting stranger…" Ienzo muttered, his hand not moving from his chin as he pondered the events.

**Chrissie POV**

I sat down on the ground slightly outside of the lab contemplating the information I had just uncovered. First, it had all been recorded by someone named Ansem, which was ominous enough; as I'd never even heard of him. Then, of course, there had been the more tragic piece of information in the certain journal section I'd read. It focused on three friends, Aqua, Terra, and Ventus, and it had dampened my spirits… I knew that, of course, there must have been a way to help them…if they weren't dead…but…. I most likely wouldn't be able to do it alone; that didn't mean that I still wouldn't try. The journal had been very vague about the details but… I'd figure something out…. Though, not now, I knew Leon needed me to take a look at some women they'd found. I was just keeping my fingers crossed that I wasn't too late; and, of course, that it would be a minor injury. As I approached Merlin's house I was greeted by a dreadful sight, everyone looked heartbroken. I knew why…of course…Ria… Though, I didn't really know her, her death hung heavily upon all of us. The attacks were becoming more and more frequent, and I was treating more and more patients. It was all so distressing…

"Hi, Chrissie, she's inside," Yuffie said. I could tell she was trying to be enthusiastic and happy, like usual, but she just couldn't quite muster it today.

"Thanks, I'll go right in," I stated, making a small smile she quickly returned. I stepped inside to see a young woman, on a ratty couch in the corner of the room.

"Glad you got here, her condition is getting worse," Leon said. He lifted his hand up and rubbed the back of his neck; he looked super stressed… I don't think Ria's death had really sunk in yet.

"I'm happy to help," I replied with a smile hoping to get him to relax a little…it didn't work. I kneeled down beside the couch as I looked at my new patient. She had the most beautiful ebony hair with glimmers of violet streaks in it; it complimented her olive skin nicely. It was right then, that I noticed Leon might have been staring a little too much.

"So… Should I try a basic cure spell first?" I asked him. I had a feeling she was only dehydrated; so, a basic spell should have been sufficient. He gave me a quick nod in reply; so, I closed my eyes slightly and lifted my hands up. It was then that I felt a small surge of power in my fingertips as I cast the spell. I opened my eyes as I watched the glowing green outline of branches form across her skin; it slowly faded away as her eyes fluttered open.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?" She screamed, with a wild look in her eyes. She looked around frantically as her eyes landed on Leon. She glared at him as she brusquely stood up; knocking me slightly backwards; though, luckily, I was still on my knees.

"We healed you…" I mumbled still in shock. Leon looked just as confused as I did. This is definitely not what anyone expected.

"Yeah right," she growled as she pushed past Leon and raced out the door.

"Is that normal?" Leon asked still staring shocked at the door our guest had just departed from.

"No, that is definitely not normal," I mumbled, still stunned.

"Well… thanks for your help," Leon said, still staring at the door, his mouth slightly ajar. We both needed a long time to get over the shock of this…event…

"No problem," I tried to say without my voice wavering. He held out his hand which I gratefully took. "I... guess… I'll see all you guys later?" I offered up with a strained smile, my insides still paralyzed.

"Yes, of course," He said shaking his head a little in disbelief. I quickly left trying to calm myself, today had been quite the adventure. I desperately wanted to find a quiet place where I could think… mostly about the three friends, whose story I had only uncovered only a short time ago.

"So, did you find anything interesting at that lab?" I heard a familiar voice ask. Immediately my eyes snapped to where he was, partially concealed in the shadows of a nearby building. He had the same spiky black hair and striking yellow eyes… And I was keeping my fingers crossed that he wouldn't delivery me more vague information.

"Perhaps, I… what was I supposed to find?" I said as I cleared my voice a little. I'm not sure what it was about him that made me so…uneasy… but there was also something more; another nagging feeling I had to keep pushing away.

"Well did you find anything or not?" He stated rather bluntly as he stepped closer towards me.

"I did… but, first, might I ask, what is it to you?" I said, as I glanced up and held his gaze.

"Now I don't see why that is relevant information to you. Think of me more off as a guide, nudging you in the direction you should go," He said with a slight smirk, an evil glint flashed in his eyes. Somehow, I knew I should run away and never ever speak to him again but… He captivated me, and... why was this information even relevant…? if he could help me save them… let's just say I needed all the help I could get.

"I... found something… about a… Ventus, Terra and Aqua… but, it was way too vague to make much sense of…" I stated rubbing the back of my neck. He stared at me with an intriguing look, as if he was analyzing me.

"Well, don't worry too much about Aqua, a plan is already set in motion, but what do you know of…Ventus?" I thought I detected a bit of spite on the last bit of his words.

"Not a whole lot… Besides, of course, that he's sleeping in Castle Oblivion," I muttered feeling utterly useless…why was someone, like him, asking me for information?

"I already know all that," He snapped looking angrier.

"Look, if you're trying to help them, then I have no problem helping you," I said locking eyes with him, his yellow eyes pierced into my heart so I quickly added, "But, I don't think that's what you want."

"What I want doesn't matter, just find Ventus. When Aqua arrives, she'll know where he is," he ordered this was a shake of his head and a slight smirk.

"Okay…" I mumbled letting my words drift off as I turned around.

"Good luck, Christina," He stated a smirk clearly evident from his voice; my head turned around quickly, but he had already disappeared. As I walked away a new thought dawned on me... I'd never told him my name.

"**Xanaya POV"**

I continued to run a little farther then what I planned then slowed to a stop. My heart beat fast. I snatched a water bottle from some bin outside and filled it up. As I drank I thought of how that room looked. I shuddered and stretched out my long Faerie wings. I dug in my bag gently avoiding Eithera and pulled out the broken vase picture. I really felt connected to it somehow. I shoved it back in my bag then patted Eithera and zipped it up.

I walked through a dark alley, "If Desiderio wasn't my real father then who was? Where did I come from." I sighed but continued to talk to myself, "Maybe someone can help me."

I saw a buttery happy couple walking and growled. It was sick just sick and pathetic. I took a seat in a semi dark alley and saw a boy and girl there. The girl was walking towards me while continuing to talk to the guy behind her and since she wasn't paying attention she happened to run into me.

"Hey, watch it, freak!" I exclaimed shoving her away from me. Her expression immediately turned into one of concern.

"Oh are you alright!" She asked me. It was sickening, she had too many emotions and it made her weak. Not to mention the stupid girl was decked out in pink, might as well flash a sign over her head saying 'Come kill me now!'

"I don't need your sympathy." I sneered. I started to walk away but a hand on my wrist stopped me. My wings fluttered angrily.

"I don't believe we're finished with you." The guy stated. He, unlike the stupid girl, was slightly more my style since his main colors of choice were black and red, but that didn't mean I would trust him.

"Let go of me you creep! Unless you want to die." I warned him, he just stared back at me in an uncaring sort of way.

"We were just about to head towards food, if you want to come with us Sara here can buy you lunch to repay her stupidity." The guy instructed gesturing towards the one in pink.

"Oh the pink barbie." I growled.

"Yup, that would be the one." The guy assured, stepping back towards the alley slightly. The girl, Sara, seemed to be at a loss of words just looking back and forth nervously, I hated that.

"Is she brain dead or just a mute?" I glance at the girl then noticed the cat. I felt the oddity in the cat. "Is that. . .?" I trailed off and raised my hand up too touch the creepy looking cat.

"Oh! That's my cat Shadow..." She looked like she wanted to say more but something stopped her. She looked down at the cat thing and glared at it. "No Shadow, you can't!" She said seemingly in a strange conversation with said cat.

I poked the cat and then knew what is was. I lifted it up by the scruff of its neck. "I know what you are." I hissed and then dropped it. I looked at the boy. "Fine I'll come too lunch but perky in pink is paying."

"Yeah." said the guy, "There's no way I am."

"How do you know about Shadow?" Perky seemed scared...good! "Only I and Thanos know what he is! Are you some kind of mind reader!" She looked back down at the cat. "No Shadow I'm not stupid!" She said indignantly.

"You better keep that trap of yours shut cat." I glared it threatening to kick it. "If I could read minds you'd be dead already. I only know about the cat because. . . I just have ways." I clenched my teeth and my wings fluttered again making the alley feel a little chilly.

"Well let's get to lunch before someone gets killed." The guy, Thanos said. Although I think he would rather there be a bloodbath killing than a restaurant in store for them in the near future. This guy was beginning to seem better and better, which both nauseated me and made me smile slightly (on the inside of course).

"Fine but one day I don't think she'll make it." I growled a threat and then immediately went to calm mode where my face was just blank and almost emo ish. No expression.

"It'll probably be a blessing to the world..." Thanos said just loud enough that I could pick it up. He sounded like this would be both relieving and, though he probably wouldn't admit it, slightly sad for him. I doubted his 'sadness' would last long when the day comes.

I just shrugged and followed them to go eat. We ended up at a cute little diner not far from the alley we met in. I wasn't sure if Perky had anything to pay with but I didn't care. I could always just run with the food and ditch them. While we sat and ate Eithera was acting up in my bag and making it shake.

"Uh, um..." Perky seemed to be slowly learning how to make words, Thanos should be _so_ proud, "I..uh I like your wings." She finally choked out.

"Mention them again and I'll rip out your eyes and shove them down your throat." My face remained straight and serious. Thanos chuckled probably picturing how lovely it would be. My bag shook violently again and I almost fell out of my chair.

"What's in the bag little miss sunshine?" Thanos asked while mauling his food.

"None of your business goody two shoes." I hissed slightly hitting my backpack. Eithera only acted like this when there was a new stupid nobody coming. I poked at some ketchup with a fry.

"Shut up Shadow!" Sara hissed down under the table where Shadow was hiding.

I saw the waiter come over and look at Perky oddly. I sorta kicked Shadow away from me then glanced at Sara. "You gonna pay Perky? Or talk to your cat like a mental patient?"

"He started it..." She muttered sulkily then brightened as she looked up at the waiter. "One sec!" She pulled out a small wad of cash from a hidden pocket in her dress. She handed the waiter a hundred munny and then tried to quickly hide the rest of her cash. "Keep the change..." She muttered quickly. She may have tried to hide the amount of munny she had from me but I had caught a glimpse. The waiter walked away without another word.

I hit my bag again and propped my legs up on the table. "So where to next Perky?"

"**Ria POV" **

I felt like I was floating. Falling down into a dark chasm. Everywhere I looked, I saw darkness. I couldn't breath, it was like every breath was a struggle. My memories were swirling around in my head, reminding me of all the times I had let someone down, of all the times I had failed, of all the people I had left behind.

'Where am I?' I couldn't help, but wonder. It was in my nature. I guess some things never change, even after death.

I was pretty sure I was being punished. It was my fault all those people had died. If I had been faster, if I hadn't let that man open the door, if I hadn't been so weak. Maybe if I had spent more time training, I could have killed all the heartless, and unversed; then all those families wouldn't be mourning for their loved ones.

'Heh, that's funny.' I thought, 'An angel in hell.'

Suddenly, I felt something grab my leg; it started to drag me deeper into the darkness. It felt like vines, except cloaked in some kind of dark mass. Soon, I had several vines wrapped around my body! I let out a scream. There was nothing I could do, I tried to wrench myself free, I tried summoning The Fallen Angel, I tried calling for help, nothing worked. I guess I deserve this. At least it will end my suffering, right?

I closed my eyes. Then, I heard a voice. "Hey, wake up. Open your eyes, Ria." Then, a bright light appeared up ahead. The vines immediately let go of me, and I started to fly upward.

I squinted as I got closer to the light. It was so warm, and almost welcoming. I was glad, but then the feeling quickly left me, why?

I opened my eyes to find myself lying on the ground, in the same position I had fallen when I was attacked. I looked over, and found a young man kneeling next to me. He had piercing green eyes, and bright, spiky, red hair. He seemed concerned.

"Are you alright?" he asked, offering me a hand.

I was about to answer but, then I realized I didn't _know. _I felt so . . . numb. He watched me closely as he helped me up. I was a little off balance.

"Heh, my name's Lea. You're Ria, right?" he asked. I nodded, that was the only thing I could think to do.

"Alright then. That was easier than I thought" he mumbled, "Come with me." he said extending his hand again.

I looked at him. He seemed sincere. 'What have I got to lose?' I thought to myself. I gently took his hand, and he started to pull me towards a dark portal that wasn't there a few minutes ago. I did _not_ want to go back. Whatever had happened to my feelings didn't seem to matter, as long as I didn't go back in there. "Oh right! You don't have a coat yet." he said, pointing towards the long, black cloak he was wearing. "I guess we'll have to walk." he sighed, smirking. Somehow, I thought he was joking about taking me into that dark portal, but it wasn't funny. It wasn't anything to me anymore. We started walking towards the castle that towered over Radiant Garden. Was this what the rest of my life, or whatever this was, going to be like? Emotionless? Numb? No, I couldn't live like that. . . .

**Thank you for reading :D, again, please review. Hopefully we'll have the 4th chapter out soon ;) **


	4. The Things You Remember

The Things You Remember

**~Sara POV~ **

"Wah!" I screamed as I fell face first into the concrete.

"Tripped over your feet again, perky?" Xanaya scoffed. I pushed myself up on hands and knees.

"I'm not a klutz…" I muttered. In fact I wasn't but this girl Xanaya she made me nervous like there was no way to please her. I glanced over to my left and noticed a sad sight; a little pink rose was partially crushed. I scoped it carefully into my hands. "Aw, how sad! It's so small!"

"Oh it had so much to live for!" Xanaya mocked. Thanos sighed and pulled me up.

"I wish I could help somehow." I continued ignoring Xanaya.

"Oh I can help." I looked up to see the blond girl Thanos had almost dismembered. I tilted my head to the side.

"How? It seems like it's already too late." I muttered.

"I'll show you." She said taking my hand and pulling me down. We crouched next to the flower and she grabbed its stem and slowly slid her fingers up until she held the head of the flower. She then smiled and let go revealing a perfect rose.

"Wow! I guess it just needs one thing now!" I dragged my fingers through the air and then made a sprinkling motion over the rose. Little water droplets rained down, I smiled.

"You use magic too?" asked the girl.

"Yeah! Oh and I'm Sara by the way." I introduced myself.

"I'm Christina but you can call me Chrissie." Chrissie told me.

"Well, do you want to go shopping?" I asked, not knowing what else to say.

"I'd love to! But, I'm a bit busy right now perhaps another time." She said apologetically. I smiled.

"I'd like that, well thanks!" I exclaimed.

"Bye." And then Chrissie walked away. I glanced in the store window next to me and saw a cute dress.

"Oh that's so cute!" I giggled, running into the store. I darted over to the first rack, my hand skillfully flipped through the dresses. I pulled out one in my size and held it up to me.

"Awwww it's so cute!" I repeated. "What do you think Scy?" I flipped around smiling sweetly to see- nothing. Scy one of my personal shoppers back before I left home… It was stupid of me to expect him to be here. I replaced the dress on the rack a pit of regret formed in my stomach crushing me with despair. I left the store quickly after that.

"Whatcha doing, freak geek?" Xanaya's voice floated over from across the street.

"Pft nerd." Thanos put in. I located them and looked at the victim. He was a short-ish skinny guy clad in green who looked like he wasn't very equipped at dealing with elementary level bullies let alone a Thanos and Xanaya tag team. I ran across the street and tried to come to a halt in front of Thanos but the ground was a little uneven. My shoe caught on a piece of sidewalk and I ended up slamming into the guy knocking him to the ground.

"Klutz." Thanos said. Xanaya sighed crossing her arms but I was a little distracted. I was looking straight into this boy's chestnut colored eyes. When I finally regained some of the ability to breath I realized I was lying on top of him. 'Oh geez this is awkward!' I thought blushing.

"I-I'm sooo sorry!" I exclaimed getting up quickly. I turned away for a second hiding my blush and then I turned my attention back to Thanos and Xanaya.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves bullying this poor boy!"

"Oh yeah I'm so sorry, Perky!" Xanaya said sarcastically mimicking my voice. I fumed.

"Kid was asking for it." Thanos explained.

"Why don't you go pick on someone your own size?!" I yelled at Thanos. Thanos shrugged,

"If you insist." Thanos pulled out a knife and went looking for more prey. Xanaya glared at me for a few minutes before saying,

"Way to ruin my fun." And she went stalking off in the opposite direction.

"Are you ok?" I turned to ask the boy but he was gone.

'Huh? Wonder where he went…' I thought, 'I should probably go look for him!' I decided quickly,

'But what if he didn't want to be found?' I shrugged the thought away and skipped happily down the street looking for the boy with the captivating brown eyes.

—

"It's been _hours_!" I complained. Shadow only sighed. He _had_ been having a great day until I had called for him.

'Just leave it Sara! What's so special about this kid anyway?' Shadow asked tiredly.

"He's– I don't know, interesting! I want to know more about him. Does he like music, do you think? I wonder if he– no that's stupid." I trailed off, had I really been about to say 'I wonder if he'd like me?' I'm such an idiot, Thanos was right. There'd be no way a guy as cute as him would like me anyways, I was to… what's the word– oh weird that's it! Wait a second… did I just think he was cute?

My mind rambling was cut off as I ran face first into… Thanos?

"Wha–? I started but Thanos hushed me, he walked up to another man and stabbed his keyblade through him. And you'd think 'Oh a keyblade injury can't be that bad right?' Wrong Thanos' keyblade has spikes all facing different ways all along the edge of the blade, making for a painful and gruesome wound.

"Oops." said Thanos happily.

"Thanos?! Do you even know who this man is?!" I asked shocked into asking stupid questions. Thanos reached down and took the man's wallet from his hopefully just unconscious body.

"His ID says his name's Cid." Thanos said. He examined the ID carefully while pocketing the man– Cid's money. "Do I look like a Cid to you?"

"Thanos! You have at least 50 fake IDs you stole! Let this guy keep his!" I whined.

"Well then he better live to thank me." Thanos said throwing the ID at Cid. Thanos started to leave as I stood there like an idiot when suddenly the brown eyed stranger appeared.

"CID NO!" He yelled running to the side of Cid. He looked up at me with fearful eyes I looked back toward Thanos for help but he was gone.

"Thanos!" I started to yell, but was quieted by a clang of metal on the back of my head and a darkness that swept me into the black sea of unconsciousness.

**~Hunter POV~**

My leg finally stopped being sore after two days. Probably didn't help me and Xion had walked around all yesterday. She wanted to look around the town, she ended up talking to this girl named Aerith who was part of this Restoration Committee thing. I didn't get it but Xion seemed interested. We stayed in a small inn on the edge of town. Xion was in the bathroom getting ready. I could only afford one room without wasting all my munny (not that I didn't have a lot, dad stored quite a bit of munny on the ship), so one room two beds, and one bathroom.

I looked up when she stepped out, she had put her cloak in a bag I bought off a vender yesterday, now she was in a black t-shirt, black close fitting pants, and black boots, guess that's what was under the cloak. She gave me a smile and I returned it and stood up.

"Ready?" She asked me and I shrugged, she shook her head a bit and dragged me out onto the street.

"So what are you going to drag me through today?" I teased her, she rolled her eyes a little.

"Oh not much I just want to get some new clo….." She trailed off looking at something. I followed her gaze, she was looking at a young man, older than me. He was tall and skinny, with red spiky hair and green eyes. He seemed to be looking around for something, or someone.

"Xion, you okay?" I asked her, she didn't respond. She seemed distant in her eyes. Then a look of realization seemed to hit her.

"I know him…." She said slowly then a genuine smile appeared on her face. "Axel!" She cried then ran to the man giving him a hug. He seemed really shocked and pried her off him.

"Who are you? I'm Lea, got it memorized? How would you know me anyways?" The man, Lea, said. Xion's eyes grew wide and hurt.

"No…Axel. I know you, I know I do." She insisted, he looked at her for a minute.

"Prove it. Okay question. True or False, am I a pyro?" He asked looking down at her, Xion thought for a second.

"Yes…" She said hesitantly, he smiled a pointed a finger at her

"Is it the hair? It's the hair isn't it?" He said then put his hands on his sides "That doesn't count where do you know me from?"

"I'm part of Organization XIII, or I was…with you and…and Roxas." She said, I didn't have a clue what she was talking about and Axel or Lea didn't look like he did either.

"There was only one girl in the Organization." Lea said.

"Larxene." Xion said with a nod, this confused him even more. He looked at her for a while then sighed and shook his head.

"Sorry kid, I don't know you. Now I have to go." He said then walked off. Xion was left standing there, she looked at the ground her hands clasped together in front of her, and her eyes were closed. I slowly walked up to her.

"Hey Bambi." I said softly putting a hand on her shoulder, she looked up at me her eyes watered. "Why don't we go get those new clothes you wanted?" She nodded slowly, blinking a lot to fight back tears. I put my hand on her lower back comfortingly and lead her off. She leaned into my hand as we walked, appreciating the some sort of comfort.

I was confused and curious as to what that was about, but I didn't ask. Getting into problems was the fastest way to kill the casual thing I was going for.

We entered the small shop. For not being big it had a variety of things. It was two stories, the top could barely see over the balcony and looked like the much smaller guys section. The counter was just to the left, there was two girls there. One was older and behind the counter, and the other was our age and very pretty. She had dirty blonde hair tied up in a ponytail and amber eyes. She walked over to us.

"I'm Ashley. Can I help you?" She asked smiling, mostly looking at me. I gave her a charming smile.

"I'm looking for new clothes." Xion said politely.

"I think we can help you with that." Ashley said and singled us to follow her.

I sat in a chair against the wall while they looked for stuff. They found shoes, these black lace up boots with light blue laces and a white dress could've been a sundress. Ashley sent her off to change. Then she turned to me.

"She your girlfriend?" Ashley asked, I smiled and shook my head

"No." I told her sitting back in my chair my arms crossed.

"So what are you doing here with her? You related?" She asked with a small smile

"No, not at all. All she had was what she had on and some black cloak. She needed something different." I said casually with a shrug, getting across that there wasn't anything between me and Xion.

"Oh, well that's nice. So, you're not from around here are you?" She asked, looking at me curiously

"Nope." I said smiling, I could tell she wanted to know from where but I was keeping that to myself to keep it interesting.

"How long are in town for?" She asked with a smile, I stood up and shrugged

"Don't know. Another few nights I suppose, till I can find a ride off." I told her, not losing a smile or eye contact.

"So…are you busy while you're here?" She gave a small smile

"Don't think so." I said with a smile standing about a foot away from her. She smiled up at me, she got a tag that had fallen off something and a pen. She wrote her number on it, then she folded up the tag and slipped it into my pants pocket. I smiled at her.

"How do I look?" I heard Xion's voice. I turned to look at her, I smiled a bit. She had the black lace up boots on that came up to about her mid-calf, light blue socks peeked up just about them. The dress fit her nicely, ending just above the knees a few inches. I looked at her

"Good." I told her and she smiled at me. It was weird seeing her in white though not that it didn't look great, black just worked with her, maybe it was because of the hair, or the way it made her eyes stand out. "It's missing something."

"Oh is it?" Xion asked curiously, I thought for a second and shrugged

"I don't know. Something black." I told her and she looked at me confused.

"A jacket maybe?" Ashley offered. "I'll be right back." She said then walked away.

"Why something black?" Xion asked me curiously, I shrugged

"I don't know, just works with you." I told her

"Oh so you're a fashion expert?" She asked surprised, I laughed,

"No. I'm just used to seeing you in black." I told her with a smile. "And hey you have to know a little bit about clothes to get girls attention." I said and she rolled her eyes. "What?"

"It's always about getting ladies, getting the girls with you."

"It's just what I do." I said with a smile

"What do you mean?" She asked

"It's hard to explain." I said wanting to change the subject

"Okay I've got a few jackets here I think you'll like." Ashley said coming back with a stack

"Perfect." I smiled. Xion walked over to where Ashley put the jackets. There was a black hoodie, military like jackets, light black fabric ones, and others. She tried them all on, but I didn't really like anything.

"Hunter how did you not like any of these?" Xion asked me, sounding a little frustrated

"Just don't. None of them fit." I told her. She huffed a little. I looked around; I found a jacket rack nearby and looked through it myself. I found a plain black leather jacket, it was simple with a silver zipper, it had jacket pockets you could but your hands in them. It didn't have collar flaps or anything it was just a plain jacket. I took it off and held it up "This one."

"Of course you'd pick the leather." Xion said sighing

"Come on just try it on." I said smiling; she came over taking it and putting it on. I smiled at her it really fit.

"Oh wow, it looks great." Ashley said, Xion looked at it in the mirror. She smiled at it, she rolled up the sleeves once so they made little cuffs, then she looked at it again and zipped it up a little bit. Then she spun around.

"I love it." Xion said finally smiling, I smiled back at her

"Alright, I'll go write it up and you can wear it out." Ashley said walking to the cash register. I followed with Xion and I paid.

"See you around Hunter." Ashley said with a smile as I paid, Xion was looking at something else.

"That you will." I told her smiling, I caught a tiny blush. I turned around "Come on Xion." I said and she followed me out. Xion stopped me outside the shop and smiled at me

"Thank you Hunter. That was really nice of you." She told me. I smiled a little and nodded to her

"It was no big deal." I told her. Xion looked at me for a second and then grabbed my wrist

"Come on I saw an ice cream place. Let's go take a look." She said and started pulling me along again.

**~Ria POV~**

For all the years that I had lived in Radiant Garden, I had never actually gone inside the castle. Before the heartless attack occurred almost 10 years ago, it was the icon of the world, it stood tall, and gave meaning to the word 'radiant'. Now, it stands as a shell of its former glory. Much like me.

On our way to the castle, Lea had begun to explain what had happened to me. He said that 'when someone with true strength in their heart loses that heart, they become a heartless. Once in awhile, a second version of them will come into existence. These creatures are called nobodies'. I had heard of these 'nobodies' before. There was a group called Organization 13 who wreaked havoc on the worlds not too long ago. They wore cloaks just like the one Lea was wearing. Normally, this would have been a red flag to keep as far away from him as possible, but I didn't seem to care at the moment, and I had questions that only he could answer, or so it seemed.

"Nobodies don't have a heart, which means they can't feel any emotions. But, they can pretend like they do as long as they have the memories of their past life. Got it memorized?" he asked. His voice snapped me out of my wondering mind, and I nodded. How many times has he said that; got it memorized? Probably about four or five times in the whole 10 minutes we've been walking. . . We approached the castle doors, where a man was keeping guard. He had a scowl etched onto his face the moment he laid eyes on us.

"Hey Dilan." exclaimed Lea, giving him a small salute.

"I see you have found the girl Ienzo told me about." Dilan said, nodding towards me.

"Yeah, her name's Ria." he replied.

"Then I think it's best that you name her, since you found her." and with that Dilan walked off into the gardens.

"Name me? I already have a name. Why do I need another one?" I asked. My voice came out deadpan. I didn't mean for it to, it just happened that way. I realized that was the first time I had spoken since I woke up.

"Oh, so you _can _talk. I was afraid you'd be like a zombie or something. Heh, I had a friend like that once . . ." he continued to ramble on about some kid named Roxas he had met while still in the Organization. So I was right, but all the members of Organization 13 were supposedly destroyed. So how was he able to come back with a heart?

"Anyways, you need a new name because, well Xemnas added 'Xs' to our names, so it's kinda tradition now even though he doesn't run things. Plus, it's like a fresh start too." he explained.

I couldn't say I was excited but, I guess I was interested to see what my new name would be. I wanted to see how many names he could come up with for a three letter word. I followed him down the Postern, and into the maze that was the Corridors.

"Now, let's see here. . . Rixa, Airx, no . . . Arxi, no . . . " he mumbled. He had his hand on his chin as if he was in deep contemplation. He really was trying to find a suitable name for me.

That would have meant a lot to me, before all this happened. My eyes wandered to the broken pipes, and debris that had blocked several passages causing the walkways to be completely blocked off. Puddles were pooling on the floor, and pipes dripped from the ceiling. This place was a mess. . . .

"I've got it!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers. He looked over at me, and smirked. "It's the perfect name." We entered a smaller hallway that led to a door. It was different from the rest, the walls were colored different, and it seemed well kept.

"Well . . . what is it?" I asked hesitantly. Lea laughed softly to himself, and walked towards the door, completely ignoring my question. "You'll see." he said, wiggling his eyebrows. I sighed, and followed him. He opened the door for me, and we both walked into a large room that looked like it was some kind of study. There was a man standing at a desk sorting through papers; he had long, blonde hair, and green eyes. I _swear_ his eye twitched when he saw me. He looked up as we walked through the door.

"Welcome back. Is this . ." the man started, but was cut off.

"Yes, this is Xira." Lea exclaimed.

Xira? I think I liked that name. It had a nice ring to it, and it rolled off the tongue easily. The man with the twitchy eye looked me over, and nodded in approval.

"It seems to fit her nicely. Well done, Lea." he said. He made his way over to where Lea, and I were standing. "Welcome Xira. My name is Even. We are here to help you through your troubling time, and help ease the transgression from human to nobody." he said, shaking my hand. He's so . . . formal.

"I have a question." I murmured.

"You do? Strange . . . nobodies aren't supposed to question things, but as you wish." he sighed.

"What happened to all those people I was protecting?" I glanced over at Lea, and he quickly looked away. Even sighed, and gently placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Xira . . . as far as we know, none of them made it. Their bodies had faded before we got the chance to examine them. I'm sorry." he said.

His apology didn't mean anything to me. It was empty. 'Geez, I hope I don't sound as angsty as sound in my head.' I thought. But, I didn't know why I asked that question. It just. . . came out, I couldn't help myself. Even walked back behind the desk, and motioned us into the room. Lea leaned against a wall nonchalantly, and turned his attention to Twitchy. I mean_ Even_! I stood there, feeling very out of place until Even pulled up a pile of books, and motioned me to sit there.

"I'm sorry Xira, but as you can see the castle is still in repairs. There wasn't too terribly much to salvage."

I took my seat on the stack of books, and looked around. This room was in the process of being repaired. Diagrams, and pictures hung sideways, books were overflowing from the shelves, and glass had been swept into a small pile in a corner of the room.

"Ah, yes! Xira, I have a question of my own. You were able to summon a keyblade the night you were attacked, correct?" he raised his eyebrows in question. I looked back over at Lea, he just nodded as if encouraging me to answer.

"Yes, I have a keyblade," I said summoning it, "It's called The Fallen Angel." It appeared there in my hand in a flash of light, and feathers just like it always did. I should be thankful that I still had the ability to use it, much less summon it.

Even examined it with this twitchy eye of his, which I think might mean he's fascinated or . . . . something. Lea was currently blowing a feather from his face, and flailing his arms around trying to get them to float someplace else.

"Pfft, I hope that doesn't happen _every_ time you summon it. . . pfft! Stop floating near me, darn it!" Lea yelled. He kept making those 'pfft' noises trying to stop the feathers from tickling his nose. I couldn't tell if he was trying to make me feel better or not, but it's the thought that counts.

"I think it's a splendid keyblade." Even said while stifling his laughter. "In fact, it seems to suit her nicely. A tad ironic, given the girl's current situation. Now Lea, since you are in charge of training her, see to it that she can still function with her keyblade, and help her perfect her skills. I believe Ienzo, and Nellie are already training, you should go join them." he said, waving us off.

We walked through the doors, and re-entered the labyrinth. Lea led the way while I followed quietly behind. I left the door slightly ajar, so when I heard Even speaking, I stopped.

"Poor girl doesn't know what she's gotten herself into."

**~Xanaya POV~**

I left Sara angry at her. She had ruined my fun. I huffed and went to sit at in a dark alley near where I could see some people every now and then. I pulled out the shrapnel of the vase with the picture and stared at it.

I really felt as if I had some connection to it. I just couldn't seem to grasp it yet. I looked at it for hours then it finally hit me.

It was like I was a little girl again. I felt my long black hair blowing around my face; I had just undone the elaborate hairdo my mother had spent the morning forcing my hair into. I felt my bare feet on the cool grass, my white robe billowing around my body. I extended my arms and it felt like I could fly. Then I saw the man, his red hair standing in stark contrast to the dark haired and olive skinned people I was used to. I remember his long, slender fingers closing in my wrist. I let out a loud scream. Then my brother was running towards me, shouting a name I can no longer remember. I struggled against the man's grasp, but my fighting was useless. Then I was overcome by a swarm of darkness as I watched my brother let out a cry before falling to the ground. All I saw was his still form, and then I heard the cries from my parents nearby. And I knew what had happened. I knew that they had died.

I shook my head and snapped out of it and then curled up breathing slightly. I was shocked then angry and let out a mad scream and punched a wall. I would get my revenge one day I would and Desiderio would be sorry.

**~Finis~ **

**Thanks to everyone for reading! Also we would really appreciate some reviews :)**


End file.
